– 4 medium-to-large cloves garlic, pressed or minced – ¼ cup lemon juice – ½ cup tahini – 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (tender stems are fine): use cilantro, parsley, basil, dill and/or mint – Optional: Up to 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leave – ½ teaspoon fine salt – Pinch of ground cumin – 5 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
Put the garlic and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl. Allow the mixture to sit for ten minutes so that the garlic can flavour the lemon juice.
It should be put into the bowl of a food processor after going through a fine-mesh sieve. Use a spatula to press the garlic solids to get out as much liquid as you can. Throw away the garlic.
Put the cumin, herbs, salt, and tahini in the food processor. You may need to scrape the sides and bottom of the food processor to make sure the herbs are mixed in well.
If you need to, scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor as you add water two tablespoons at a time while it's running. It should be nice and creamy after 5 to 6 tablespoons.
More thickening will happen as it cools. It's possible to make the sauce runnier by adding more water. Add more lemon if you want more tang, or add another pinch of salt if you want more flavour overall.
There you go, your tahini sauce is ready to go! Covered leftovers will stay good in the fridge for up to a week. The tahini might get thicker over time; if it does, add more cold water and mix it in.